Abstract PI: ROBERTSON, ANDREW D Project: 1R13AI091030-01 Title: TGF-beta in Immune Responses: From Bench to Bedside Accession Number: 3251986 ================== NOTICE: THIS ABSTRACT WAS EXTRACTED FROM APPLICATION AND HAS NOT BEEN PROOFED BY AN SRA.WHEN THERE ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE APPLICATION SCANNING PROCESS, THE EXTRACTED TEXT MAY BE INCORRECT OR INCOMPLETE. ================== This proposal requests support for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled TGF-beta in Immune Responses: From Bench to Bedside, organized by Wanjun Chen, Howard L. Weiner and Richard A. Flavell, which will be held in Snowbird, Utah from January 7 - 12, 2011. The aims of this meeting are to gather experts on Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-??) from across the world to discuss new findings and update the pivotal role of TGF-?, arguably the most important immunoregulatory cytokine, in the immune system. One important goal of this meeting will be to lay out the critical and main questions regarding the role of TGF-?? in the immune system and point out possible future directions for research. Recent discoveries have documented that TGF-?? plays indispensable roles in regulating innate and adaptive immunity and immune tolerance. For example, TGF-?? suppresses Th1 and Th2 cell responses, but promotes regulatory T cell and Th17 cell differentiation. TGF-?? deactivates macrophages and downregulates the function of dendritic cells. TGF-[unreadable] is one of the most important cytokines influencing mucosal immunity versus tolerance. TGF-?? switches on IgA production, but inhibits the production of other types of immunoglobulins. TGF-?? regulates autoimmunity, inflammation, transplant rejection, anti-tumor immunity and HIV and viral infections. The importance of TGF-?? in the immune responses is no longer disputed, but key questions related to the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the complex and diverse functions of TGF-?? are largely unknown. Elucidation of these pathways would allow us to apply the knowledge and information acquired from basic studies to understand the pathogenesis of human immune-associated diseases and to develop therapeutic practices in experimental and, ultimately, clinical settings. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-??) is produced and stimulates signaling in almost all cells, and it plays a central role in the general immune response including innate immunity, the mucosal immune system, in autoimmunity and chronic inflammation, anti-tumor immunity, and HIV-mediated immune deficiency. Information acquired from basic studies can be applied to understand the pathogenesis of human immune- associated diseases and develop therapeutic practice in experimental and, ultimately, clinical settings. This Keystone Symposia meeting on TGF-beta in Immune Responses: From Bench to Bedside is the first international meeting to focus on the roles of TGF-beta in immune responses.